The Emir of Biu in Borno State, Alhaji Mai Mustapha, has commended European Union and Mercy Corps, a development partner, for giving hope to adolescent girls in the North-East.
Mustapha made the commendation at the ongoing summit organised by Mercy Corps on Thursday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit was themed: “Reaching Adolescents in Emergencies: Getting it Right When It Matters Most’’.
Represented by the District Head of Bulungwi, Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu, the Emir explained that various intervention projects brought by the corps had helped to elevate the lives of adolescent especially girls in the communities.
He said that the girls in his communities like other places had faced challenges of social isolation and economic hardship.
The monarch said that the EU funded project known as Investing in the Safety and Integrity of Nigerian Girls (I-SING), had impacted positively on the lives of both the girls and the boys that benefited from the programme.
According to him, the project has empowered the youth by giving them life skills, health services and entrepreneurship skills.
“We will remain grateful to you, Mercy Corps and EU for investing on our youth and the future of my domain, Southern Borno” he said.
Mustapha said that the traditional institution had set up committee comprised of religious leaders and traditional rulers to educate and counsel youth against social vices.
Some of the beneficiaries of the project told NAN that the interventions had impacted positively on their lives.
Swaiba Adam, a beneficiary, said that the project had given her life skills and economic empowerment.
She said that she learnt the skill of making milk candy and used the income to take care of herself and family.
Rashida Mohammed, another beneficiary, said that she was now economically viable due to the entrepreneurial skill acquired from the project.
“I don’t know how to express my appreciation to EU and Mercy Corps than to share what I have learnt with other people with a view to impact on their lives,’’ she said. (NAN)
